The present invention relates to a system for packaging and dispensing fluids. More particularly, the invention relates to a system including a flexible package having a removable margin portion and retention elements by which a dispensing tube may be confined to a certain position within the package and, when the removable margin is detached, the sides of the package may be manipulated to indirectly push the dispensing end of the dispensing tube out from within the package inner volume and above the margin of the package in order to sanitarily dispense the fluid from the tube as needed. The system is an improvement to the package described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,646 issued on Apr. 30, 1968 to L. Doyen et al. for "Container of Plastic Material and Method of Producing Same".
A variety of bottles and other containers are known for holding liquids that require a spout or tube to be used in order to pour or draw a liquid out from the container. However, many such known containers have a variety of disadvantages associated with them that limit their usefulness.
The spout or tube that is necessary to pour or draw liquid from some such containers is an element that is not retained on or within or united to the container but is maintained completely separate from the container. Without the spout or tube, the container cannot function as intended. If sanitary conditions are to be maintained during the pouring or dispensing of the liquid from the container, the separate spout or tube must be maintained in a sanitary condition such as by the individual wrapping of the spout or tube. The need for the separate spout or tube is inconvenient for the consumer. The need for the separate wrapping of the spout or tube adds additional cost to the entire packaging system.
Other of such containers require the consumer to use his or her hands to pull a straw out from or push a straw into the container or to manipulate a mouthpiece so that the fluid can be drawn up from the opened container through the straw or the mouthpiece. While the straw or mouthpiece may have been maintained in a sanitary state prior to manipulation, the handling of the straw or mouthpiece--in order to place the straw or mouthpiece into the proper position so that fluid may be drawn up and through and put from the dispensing end--may place dirt, bacteria, and viruses onto this end--the same that must be placed into the user's mouth to receive the liquid. Such handling poses a health risk particularly for children or older individuals or those that may be already suffering from an illness and may be required to avoid any additional health risks.
Other containers are complex arrangements that utilize specialized structures or multiple components to facilitate the dispensing of packaged fluid. For example, some such containers require the use of a stiff and/or pointed straw or other tool in order to puncture the container and thereby be able to dispense liquid from the container. Other containers provide straws or tubes on or within the container that have a specialized construction that allow the straw or tube to be compressed and expand when the package is opened. Other such containers include straws having certain mouthpiece structures and segments that require the straw to be directly manipulated so that the packaged fluid can be drawn up into the mouthpiece. Other containers are structured such that the straw or other tool that allows fluid to be drawn up from the container is carried on the exterior of the container. Such an exterior container location requires that either the fluid container and straw or dispensing tool or just the straw or dispensing tool be wrapped in additional protective wrapping material in order to maintain the straw or dispensing tool in a sanitary condition prior to the opening of the container and the straw or dispensing tool to be somehow bound to the container surface. Complex, multi-component structures requiring a number of assembly steps such as those typically are costly to manufacture and, as a result, may be more costly to the consumer.
The package described in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,646 comprises a container having two faces and a bottom part that is an extension of the two faces. The bottom part is described a being folded in so as to form a W-section with the faces. The container includes two lateral welds through the height of the faces. The drawings of the container described in that patent show the lateral welds as being parallel to each other. The package includes oblique or lateral welds or a curvilinear weld. The base of the package is described as being in the shape of a hexagon or a rhombus.
A demand therefore exists for a drinking system that is of a simplified construction--and that therefore can be manufactured easily and at a low cost--and is self-contained such that a user may easily transport the packaged fluid and open the package quickly and dispense fluid from the package without the need for any additional elements or tools or the direct handling of the dispensing end of the dispensing tube contained within the package. The present invention satisfies the demand.